SD court strikes down forced DUI blood tests

SIOUX FALLS (AP) – A South Dakota law that allowed blood to be drawn from suspected drunk drivers without their permission or a warrant is unconstitutional, the state Supreme Court found in a ruling announced Thursday.

The ruling follows a decision by U.S. Supreme Court last year that states that the natural dissipation of alcohol from the blood over time isn't generally reason enough to exempt police from having to get a judge's approval before drawing a blood sample from a suspect.

South Dakota's implied consent law, which went into effect in 2006, stipulated that drivers consent to drug and alcohol testing just by getting behind the wheel.